2. Cut the Military by 90%

6. That could be a goal, perhaps cut a percentage over a defined time frame...

Why, well there are a lot of contracts out there that millions of workers depend on as a source of steady income stream. If this was suddenly removed from the economy, we would certainly go into a deep recession.

7. Well thought out. cheers

10. I would support charitable deductions but

prohibit deductions that go directly to a church intended for tithing. Let the churches form organizations that are dedicated to helping people. But the tithing that is generally used for wages maintenance of a church should not be deductible.

9. I would have the top tax bracket higher

and have more than just 2 at 33% or higher. We currently have 6 tax brackets (actually 7 when you count 0% as a tax bracket). We could have 10 or 12 tax brackets.

And tell everyone that says the tax code is complicated that they are full of crap. For most of us it simple. When it involves additional properties and income from investment it becomes more complicated. It's complicated when it involves more than just a few pages to file.

11. Eliminate the home mortgage deduction. About 100 billion in tax revenue right there.

12. 10% would be a drop in the bucket to DOD spending

I remember that in 2004 the military budged was roughly $420 billion dollars. I think the current budget is over $700 billion. We are due for some huge cuts.

The "modernization" programs that are being pursued just aren't necessary. The types of conflicts we have been fighting are against militaries that are equipped with, at best, 1970s era soviet weapons. There is a huge capabilities difference between what I had in 2004 when I was in Iraq and the weapons (or what was left of them) that the Iraqi military had. The difference between my equipment in 2004 and what they are using in 2012 is equally staggering. Any military that could compete with us in any fashion on the battlefield belongs to a country that is so tied to us financially and economically that the last thing they would ever consider doing is fighting a war against us. could you imagine a China declaring war on us? Where would they sell their manufactured goods?

Most of the burned out tank and armored vehicle hulks that I saw were from the 1960s or earlier. You wouldn't believe the number of T54/55 tanks (tanks from 1950s) that I saw burned out and laying around.

17. K&R Well thought out! nt

20. Cut It By 50% At The Very least

We'd still be safe if we're competent.

Dwight Eisenhower rose to fame in WWII but his prime warning in his presidential farewell speech, January 1961, was about not letting the military industrial complex gain undue influence in the future. Obviously his worst fears have been realized.

It is the elephant in the room and that's maddening.

Cut it in half, institute a VAT, legalize pot everywhere and tax it, employ anyone displaced by the military cuts on the task of finally fixing our crumbling infrastructure - maybe come up with something more reliable than 19th century telegraph tech (poles and wires) for power transmission. Oh and raise the tax rates on the ultra rich to slightly less than half of where Ike had it.

21. Drop the empire and convert it to a domestic emergency force.

Clearly, hurricanes and such are a bigger threat to this country than the scattered plots of "terrorists" and dictators who almost always turn out to be installed and sponsored by the same military-intelligence complex that eventually kills them.